The Curse of Power
by chaosrules814
Summary: Percy Jackson is tired of living in a world where he has to fight for the survival of himself, his friends, and the one he loves. So, he rises above it. He becomes so powerful that nothing could threaten him ever again. But did he lose something important to being human along the way? He's kinda like Rick from Rick and Morty combined w/ Saitama from OPM. Percabeth. Post HoO Pre ToO
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Can't catch a break

 **AN: Hey guys. This is my first story, and there's a couple things I'd like to make clear.**

 **I have a defined plan for this story. I'll take suggestions, and some details may stay the same, but in the end, It's my story.**

 **I'm sorta writing this for myself. Not looking to become a serious author, but I am taking this seriously. That said, again I will listen to suggestions and keep y'all in mind.**

 **I, chaoslover814, solemnly swear to work on this fic for at least 15 minutes a day. Aiming for an hour, but I'm in high school, so that might not always be possible. This story will continue to be coming out until I explicitly say I'm done.**

 **If you like Rick and Morty or One Punch Man, this fic is for you. Once I'm done setting up Percy, he's gonna be a sorta combonation of Rick and Saitama. Not gonna copy any story aspects from those two shows, but just certain aspects of those two characters. It'll be legally safe. That said, he obviously is gonna be OP. For those that don't like those shows, I hope you still enjoy. He'll be a different kind of OP than what you normally might see on this site.**

 **All rights to characters in PJO go to Supreme Leader Rick Riordan. Long live the Supreme Leader.**

 **Hope y'all enjoy! And awaaaaay we go!**

"Yes!" screeched Annabeth, much to the displeasure of the snooty customers at the fine dining restaurant. I stood up shakily, because after all the monsters I've killed, the titans I've fought, hell even after holding up the sky, proposing to my girlfriend was the scariest thing I've ever done. Hearing that yes melted away my anxiety that had clouded over me the whole day.

"This is the happiest moment of my life" I softly told her as I cupped her face with my hand. The candlelight of the restaurant made her look like Audrey Hepburn in one of her romantic comedies. She had a smile a mile wide, and gazed lovingly into my eyes.

"Me too, Seaweed Brain." she said as she tried to withhold her giddiness. Suddenly her stormy gray eyes went from a look of bliss to a tempest, and her eyebrows scrunched up like she was reading a book that confused her. "Oh my gods, we have so much to do! We have to find a date, reserve a location, then there's the guest list, the flowers, who's going to do the music? Are we going to have a band, a DJ, a string quartet, what about the catering?" she babbled as her lips were going about a million miles an hour. I stopped her spiral into madness the best way I knew how.

I cupped her face, and gave her a kiss that express my constant, undying love. As I kissed her, I felt her whole body relax into the kiss. When we separated, I saw Annabeth relax back into her chair, smooth out her cherry-red satin dress, and sigh as if the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders.

"Relax Wise Girl," I assured her, "everything's gonna work itself out."

Annabeth smiled, "What would I do without you, Seaweed Brain?"

As we headed out of the restaurant and to my Prius stamped with Blackjack's hooves, Annabeth and I gazed up to the sky as the moon and stars seemed to twinkle just for us.

"We finally caught a break, didn't we?" I bantered.

"Thank the Fates I got so lucky." she replied.

Honestly, at this point you must be thinking "Is he really going to tempt the Fates like that?" If you are, you're right. Hindsight really is 20/20.

Out of nowhere, an Iris message appeared in front of us. It was New Rome, and it was under attack.  
"Hey guys!" panted Frank as he and Hazel shimmered into view. He had a few scratches and scrapes, and Hazel's hair looked like she just rolled around in the grass for a few hours, but health-wise they were okay.

"Sorry to ruin date night, but we could use some primo demigods to take out a few hundred monsters that showed up on our doorstep. Mind lending a hand?" he asked as if he was a neighbor borrowing some sugar.

"Whatever. This dress was on sale anyway." Annabeth grumbled, obviously less than pleased at the turn of events.

"We're headed there now." I assured Frank. After all that we'd been through together on the _Argo II_ , I couldn't abandon him and all those citizens of New Rome who were trying to live their lives in peace.

We hopped in the car as I madly rammed the key into the ignition and turned it. I sent out a silent prayer I wouldn't get pulled over as I peeled away almost twenty miles per hour over the speed limit. I glanced over at Annabeth, whose face was ghost-like as her knuckles turned white holding onto the handle above the door.

"Could... you slow... down?" she stuttered as I weaved a needle point stitch in between cars and pedestrians.

"It's okay, I'm using my demigod driving! I have cat-like reflexes! We need to get there fast, or Frank's gonna be in trouble!" I tried to convince her, but she still looked ready to regurgitate her chicken parmesan.

As we rolled to a stop above the battleground, I floored the gas as we climbed over the hill into the valley that held New Rome. It still looked beautiful as the tall arches and columns stood strong. However, New Rome's beauty in strength was only _slightly_ undercut by the hordes of _empousae, dracanae,_ hellhounds, cyclopes, and other assorted baddies looking to feast on demigod flesh.

"There must be hundreds of monsters here." Annabeth noted. "But how are they this organized?"

I snorted, "What? They look about as organized as a satanic cult! Why do you think they're organized?"

Annabeth just rolled her eyes at me, "They're all together, aren't they?" Sometimes, she really makes me feel stupid.

I hit the gas again as the Prius as a car model would make it's first and last ever charge into battle. As we neared the scene, Annabeth yelped as the car slammed into a hellhoud with a solid thump, throwing it over the front of the car.

"Looks like he's going to a farm up north" I joked.

"Stop quipping, it's beneath you." Annabeth jabbed back at me.

"Yes ma'am." I resigned.

We continued to roll over _dracanae_ and hellhounds on our way to the demigod front. We were almost there as a giant club suddenly smashed it's way through the engine block, and the front of the Prius crunched like an aluminum can.

"Man, Paul is gonna kill me!" I groaned. The club was raised again, before racing down to the windshield, threatening to grind me and Annabeth to a Percabeth smoothie. We dove out of the car as the club swatted the Prius and sent it on a sky high, out of the park trajectory.

"Hey, meathead!" I taunted as I whipped out Riptide. "No one messes up my step dad's car and lives!"

The cyclops raised his club as I dashed towards him, Riptide at my hip. The cyclops brings it down, but I sidestepped. I jumped on his club as he raised it again. Riptide lunged forward as I leaped from his club, and impaled him right in the center of his forehead.

"An eye for an eye." I quipped as I slid down his body while he dissolved into golden dust.

"Percy!" someone shouted. I turned around, and it was Frank, leading the Roman legions into the battle against a pack of hellhounds. Frank fought like a true Roman, bashing them down with his shield before piercing his gullet as they yelped for death. I ran over to him, and helped him out the best I could, while staying out the way. Slowly, we grinded the monsters down, until the last pack of _dracanae_ turned around and slithered away as fast as their snake-legs could carry them.

I checked myself for injury. I found that while my slacks and blazer were pretty much goner's now, I came out unscathed. I saw Annabeth come back into view. Her dress was now torn off below the knees, and her princess curls didn't look very princess-y, but thank the gods she was alright.

"When are you going to give me a normal date that isn't interrupted by some monster attack or a god needing a favor?" she questioned, looking pretty peeved about the whole thing.

"When I stop being a demigod?" I shrugged. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, which was a sure sign she was not satisfied with that answer.

Then, Frank hobbled up to me. He got a gash on his leg, but to me, it didn't look life-threatening. "Thanks, man. I'm glad I can always count on the Hero of Olympus." he thanked me as he patted me on the back.

"I'll always be there for you Frank, but try not to make it a habit. Annabeth hates when our date nights are interrupted, and she seems especially mad about this one." I warned him.

"Why do you think that is?" he asked. My face grew a little red at the question.

"Well," I said sheepishly as I rubbed the back of my neck, "I kinda proposed to her tonight."

That made Frank grow red as a tomato. "Oh, so sorry dude! If' I'd known that, you have to know, I wouldn't..." he trailed off.

"It's alight," I reassured him. "I have to look after my friends too." My heart grew warm as I said that.

"Well, I still owe you one. If you need a favor, you got it, anytime. I have to go tend to the legion now. Take care of yourself Percy." He clapped me on the back one more time, then returned back to his troops.

I turned back to Annabeth just as she was ending her conversation with Hazel. "Bye, Hazel! Take care of Frank for me!" I laughed as I waved at her.

She smiled and waved back. "Always." Then she too turned back to the legion.

"So how about we go back to the apartment in New Rome and celebrate?" Annabeth suggested mischievously, waving her new ring as she did so. She winked and raised her eyebrows up and down, hinting that she wanted to fool around.

"Who are you and what have you done with Annabeth?" I teased. "I know my Annabeth would never suggest doing something naughty!"

"We'll just see whose naughty." she whispered suggestively as her hands explored my chest. I couldn't resist anymore. A fire boiled within me, and I had no choice but to crash my lips onto hers. I could feel her wrap me around her little finger as we made out, and my passion consumed me.

"Ahem!" someone cleared their throat, making us fly apart like the wrong ends of a magnet.

"What do you want?" I grumbled haughtily as I turned around to face the person who interrupted us yet again. To my surprise, it was Thalia, and she looked a little worse for wear.

"I know, I know, it's date night, but I need you to get over to Yellowstone Park as fast as possible." she demanded as if it was as easy as running to the store to get some orange juice.

"Why. In the FUCK. Would I do that?" I punctuated.

Thalia gave me her classic, death glare that I'd come to know and love. "Because the hunters are in trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Thank you all for following this story. So far I've stayed committed to my promise to write every day. It means a lot that all my work is already paying off.**

 **Please leave reviews, I would love feedback. However, I'd like constructive feedback. Telling me something you liked or something you didn't is more helpful to me as an author than telling me "I liked it" or "This sucked". If you give me good feedback, I can give you better content, so it's a win-win!**

 **I put an obscure Incredibles reference in this chapter, be on the lookout!**

 **All rights to Supreme Leader Rick Riordan. Long live the Supreme Leader.**

Chapter 2: Waking Nightmare 

Previously...

"What do you want?" I grumbled haughtily as I turned around to face the person who interrupted us yet again. To my surprise, it was Thalia, and she looked a little worse for wear.  
"I know, I know, it's date night, but I need you to get over to Yellowstone Park as fast as possible," she demanded as if it was as easy as running to the store to get some orange juice.  
"Why. In the FUCK. Would I do that?" I punctuated.  
Thalia gave me her classic death glare that I'd come to know and love. "Because the hunters are in trouble."

Now...

"Ugh, again? Man, we really jinxed ourselves back at the restaurant," grumbled Annabeth. I couldn't help but agree. I gave my best New York taxi cab whistle, and I saw a dark figure flying overhead, slowly getting bigger.  
"Hey, boss," neighed Blackjack. "Got any sugar cubes for me?"  
I rolled my eyes at my old friend. "Sorry, dude. Put it on my tab." Blackjack snorted and stamped his hoof in frustration.  
"Really? I hate running on empty." he nickered. While Blackjack is loyal to a fault to those that have him as a friend, sometimes that loyalty has to be bought.  
"Give us a ride, and I promise we'll make a quick stop to get you some sugar cubes" I conceded.  
"I can't say no to that deal, boss!" he whinnied. "Hop on!"  
I helped Annabeth up on Blackjack, which she glared at me for, but hey, I had to be the gentleman! Then I hopped on behind her, and Blackjack took off.  
Despite the chilly night air, I was warm because I had my arms wrapped around Annabeth. She turned around and gave me a peck on the lips, and it spread warmth through my body. As we left the city, the trees began to thicken until I was looking down at a carpet of forest green, swaying back and forth in the chilly winter wind. The moonlight on Annabeth's hair flashed like silver weaving through her princess curls. There were stray hairs clawing their way to freedom, but to me, she looked like a goddess. I couldn't help but think how lucky I am to be engaged to such a beautiful woman.  
"I'm lucky to be marrying a man as handsome as you are, too Seaweed Brain". Annabeth said dreamily.  
My face reddened as I realized I said that out loud. "Whoops, didn't mean for you to hear that. I probably jinxed us again." I sputtered.  
Annabeth laughed angelically. "As long as we're together, Seaweed Brain, we're the luckiest people on the planet."  
I chuckled lightly. "Us, lucky? Are you kidding?" I said incredulously. "Luck is completely overrated. I don't know if it exists or not, but I don't care. You're better than luck, Wise Girl."  
A red tinge swelled her cheeks as she leaned in and kissed me. "You're really asking for trouble, Seaweed Brain. The Fates are going to take that as a challenge," she mumbled.  
"Bring it," I replied.  
As we grew closer to Yellowstone, I could begin to make out faint whispers of the cries of Laistrygonians, the yelping of hellhounds, and the thunks of arrows finding the chinks in their armor. We came down on the hunters forming a defensive circle around their camp. Hunting wolves were gnashing their teeth as they charged the werewolves. Silver hunting knives flashed like fish in a sunlit pond as they found the throats of the giant cannibals. I saw Lycon and his wolfish grin as he slinked up towards the front line.  
"You can't withstand us forever, princess!" he jeered. A second later, an arrow whizzed so close to his ear that he yelped, finding blood from further examination.  
"I think my hunters and I disagree with you on that!" retorted Artemis as she continued to launch arrows so fast it was like she was shooting lightning.  
Lycon growled, "Alright, pack, full charge!"  
As a dozen more wolves began to come out of the woods into the clearing where the hunters were camping, Annabeth and I landed, armed and ready to fight. Annabeth winked at me as she pulled on her Yankee's cap and disappeared. I turned my attention to the charging wolves and noticed a few water jugs stacked to the side of the fire pit. I felt a familiar tug in my gut as the water burst from the jugs and whooshed swiftly to meet the wolves. The water intercepted the wolves' charge as the fell to the ground, sputtering and hacking up the water.  
"Now, ladies!" shouted Thalia next to me, and a volley of arrows charged the wolves like a silver wall of death, obliterating the pack.  
Lycon snarled at the hunters. "You'll pay for that, you dikes!" he growled as he leaped savagely towards the defenders. He landed just in front of Thalia, who had about half a second before a silver paw slashed her kneecap. Thalia dived towards the dirt, clutching her injured limb. As Lycon stalked towards her for the kill, I hastily snatched up her dagger and plowed it into his ear. Lycon seized up, stiff as a rock.  
"I would say 'What big ears you have, Grandma!', but there seems to be a hole in one of them." I jested. Then, Lycon dissolved into golden dust.  
Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Thalia roll her eyes. "What's the deal, now? Are you really making these corny superhero quips?" she asked condescendingly.  
"Hey, I think the audience would really enjoy them," I replied matter-o-factually.  
"Whatever Kelp Head, just get me out of here, I can't get up." she groaned.  
I picked Thalia up off the ground and threw her arm over my shoulder. Together, we limped away from the clashing of metal and the roars of battle. I maneuvered her over to a table in the infirmary tent, and after a lot of wincing and groaning on her part, she laid down and got comfortable on the table.  
"Gotta go Thals, but I hope you feel better!" I quickly told her as I tossed her a square of ambrosia.  
"Stay safe Kelp Head, and protect my sisters for me," she warned.  
I burst out of the tent, unable to stay out of the fight for another second. The cold winter air bit as I dashed towards the front lines. In fact, I was going so fast, I ran into nothing. And by nothing, I meant Annabeth in her invisibility cap.  
"Oof!" we grunted as we collided.  
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Annabeth chastised.  
"Annabeth, you were invisible. How was I supposed to see you?" I questioned.  
"Oh. Duh," she mumbled. I smiled because I had finally caught Annabeth in the wrong. Being the gentlemen I am, I didn't make a big deal out of it. Still, it secretly made me bubbly inside.  
Together, we chewed through the remaining monsters, who fought lusterless after Lycon was defeated. After another few minutes or so, I ran my sword through the last Laistrygonian straight through the belly, and he dissolved into monster dust.  
"Well, that's the last of them" I sighed. Despite not taking any serious injury, fighting two full-scale battles took a lot out of me. My sword arm was a ton of bricks. My back was twisted into knots. I already knew in the morning that my legs were going to be stiff as a board. Annabeth looked just as exhausted. She's in good shape for a college student, but she was still huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. Her hair was matted and tangled. Even her knees were vibrating like there was an earthquake.  
"Sorry Percy... but I think... I'm gonna be... too tired to... 'celebrate'... like we'd planned." she said in between breaths.  
"I hear ya, Wise Girl," I said, leaning over on my sword.  
I was almost too tired to notice Artemis and Phoebe walk over to us, as we both collapsed on the ground.  
"What's wrong, boy? Can't handle a little skirmish?" Phoebe mocked.  
"Hush Phoebe. Go tend to the others, and make sure Thalia is alright." Artemis chided.  
"Yes, milady," she grumbled as she sulked off.  
Artemis turned back to me. "Sorry, Perseus. Phoebe gets a little cranky whenever one of her sisters go down, especially her lieutenant." she apologized.  
"It's alright" I replied.  
"So there was a large battle at Camp Jupiter as well? I wonder what's caused all the mass attacks...?" Artemis pondered.  
Annabeth put on her thinking face, which is when she scrunches her eyebrows together and stares off into space. "I don't know, but it's definitely not good." Annabeth grimly stated.  
"Man, can we ever catch a break? Why can't we wait at least another fifty years before we have to save the world?" I ranted. "I feel like a maid. Like, I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for ten minutes? Gods..."  
"The Fates really hate us," Annabeth added.  
Artemis grimaced. "Come, I'll give you a cup of hot chocolate, and flash you to Camp Half-Blood. You two deserve it." she offered.  
"Thank you, Lady Artemis" we replied gratefully.  
Artemis helped us up and led us to her tent. Walking through the hunters camp was very different from when I did it as a fourteen-year-old. Instead of outright glares, I saw grudging nods of respect and even some looks of gratefulness. I felt proud that I had done something to possibly, ever so slightly change their opinion of my gender.  
"When you took the sky from me and won the favor of Zoe, the hunters decided that maybe, you aren't a piggish, stupid male after all. So congratulations." Artemis explained as if she had read my mind, which she probably had. I smiled for a second, then after fully hearing everything she'd said, I wondered if that was really a compliment.  
Artemis pushed away the tent flap and led us into the tent. It looked just like it did last time I was in here.

There were furs on the floor, which was bigger than the outside. Various stuffed animals were mounted on the walls. They all turned and lowered their heads, (their bodies?) as they saw Artemis enter. She poured us our hot chocolate, and as I drank it, I felt it warm me to the bone. Slowly, the cold was taken away and replaced with drowsy. I looked over and saw Annabeth nodding off on the rugs.  
"Thank you, Lady Artemis for your hospitality, but I think we need to be going. My fiance is looking sleepy."  
"She is. By the way, congratulations on the engagement," she replied.  
I smiled back at her. "Thank you. If you could flash us close to the Poseidon cabin, that'd be nice." I requested as I picked up Annabeth off the ground, bridal style.  
"Of course," she responded. "Have a good night." I covered my eyes as she turned into golden light, and suddenly I was in front of the Poseidon cabin.  
"Home sweet home," I said, glad to be back to familiar territory.  
Carefully I budged open the door with my shoulder, not wanting to bump Annabeth's head on the door frame. I carefully laid her down on my bed and tucked her into the sheets.  
"Stay," she said as she drowsily clawed at my arm. I chuckled as I kicked off my shoes and climbed into bed with her. Slowly, as I wrapped my arms around her, as if I was afraid to lose her, my mind melted into her warmth, and I drifted off asleep.  
Unfortunately for me, sleep was not quite so peaceful. I dreamed I was at Camp Half-Blood, but the camp was burned to the ground. I looked over to where the Big House was and found it was leveled. A few shaky columns were all that remained of the dining hall. I couldn't figure out where the other buildings were, partly because I couldn't see very far with all the smoke, and partly because there was nothing left of them.  
Right in front of me, Nico, Thalia, Travis and Connor Stoll, Katie Gardner, Will Solace, the Seven except me, my camp friends and my mom were on their knees, with gags around their mouths and their hands tied behind their backs. They all were weeping in fear as their eyes frantically darted toward the figure standing in front of them. Laughing, the figure grabbed my mom by the throat. Sally Jackson struggled with all her might, but I was helpless as the figure rammed his fist through her body, and pulled out her heart. I saw the light leave her eyes as she dropped to the ground, motionless. I tried to scream out at the figure, but my voice wouldn't work. I tried to run towards him and reach out to him, but I couldn't move.  
The scariest part of the whole dream was when the figure turned around. He looked like a bodybuilder, with large and defined muscles. The only other normal thing about him were his boots, which were Stygian iron. On the weird side, he was purple. Eagle-like talons extended from his fingertips. His armor was solid darkness. Vague figures seemed to move throughout the armor. Despite how odd he looked, there was something familiar about him. The scariest part about him was his face.  
He had black, messy hair and sea green eyes, just like me. In fact, he looked almost exactly like me. However, there was something different in his eyes. His sea green orbs danced around like they were on fire. His smile wasn't easy going, but a smile of a madman. He cackled as he turned towards me.  
"Do you like the new look Perseus?" he mocked. "I never forget the face of a demigod."  
"Who are you?!" I yelled. "What do you want?!"  
The man broke into a smile a mile wide and said "Aw, pity. I would hope you'd recognize me. After all, we'd had so much fun together. Last time you saw me, you nearly wet your pants. Ah, good times!" he reminisced with a fiendish smile.  
"Leave my friends alone!" I screamed, which made him burst into a fit of hysteria.  
"I'm sorry, old friend. I really have to do this. It's imperative for the new world order. You know the phrase. Out with the old and in with the new. Well, I best be off. Keep your wits about you, buddy. I'll be in touch shortly. Toodles!" he said before giving me an impish little wave with his fingers. Suddenly, the ground below me opened up, and I fell into a dark hole that seemed to go for miles and miles.  
I awoke with a start. Shakily, I tried to get out of bed but ended up face-planting on the floor.  
"Ahh!" I screamed as I fell. Not my most dignified moment.  
"Shhh! I'm trying to sleep, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth hushed.  
"Sorry, I had a nightmare," I mumbled groggily. I felt sore all over as I slowly tried to pick myself up. I realized I was still in the clothes I was wearing yesterday at the restaurant and the ensuing battles. As I started to wake up, I started to hear shouting and panicking coming from the other cabins. I looked out the window and saw the Ares cabin in armor, swords drawn and heading over to Thalia's tree.  
"I can't believe my luck." I groaned. I tried to bang my head against the wall to see if I was just hallucinating, but it seemed like the Fates really had it out for me.  
"Will you be quiet! I'm still sleeping over here!" Annabeth scolded.  
"You might wanna wake up, Wise Girl." I droned grimly. "Another army is here to ruin our day." 

**AN: Thanks for reading! Please review! Keep it constructive. Since this is coming out on New Year's Eve, Happy New Year!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you all for reading my fic. I appreciate all of you who have followed and favorited. I would really appreciate some feedback. It's as easy as telling me what you liked and what you didn't like. I want to make this fic as good as I can, but I need some help from you guys.**

 **I've been dragging out the exposition a lot, but this chapter will wrap it up. Pinky promise!**

 **All rights to Supreme Overlord Rick Riordan. Long live the Supreme Leader.**

 **(post in reviews if you want a new way of giving rights to rick or keep it how it is)**

Previously...

I awoke with a start. Shakily, I tried to get out of bed but ended up face-planting on the floor.  
"Ahh!" I screamed as I fell. Not my most dignified moment.  
"Shhh! I'm trying to sleep, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth hushed.  
"Sorry, I had a nightmare," I mumbled groggily. I felt sore all over as I slowly tried to pick myself up. I realized I was still in the clothes I was wearing yesterday at the restaurant and the ensuing battles. As I started to wake up, I started to hear shouting and panicking coming from the other cabins. I looked out the window and saw the Ares cabin in armor, swords drawn and heading over to Thalia's tree.  
"I can't believe my luck." I groaned. I tried to bang my head against the wall to see if I was just hallucinating, but it seemed like the Fates really had it out for me.  
"Will you be quiet! I'm still sleeping over here!" Annabeth scolded.  
"You might wanna wake up, Wise Girl." I droned grimly. "Another army is here to ruin our day."

Now...

Normally, when an army of monsters comes to threaten my friends, I'm usually gung-ho, ready to go. Today, I was not ready to fight again. I winced as I lethargically tossed on my armor. I shuffled over to where my helmet was, and as I picked it up, I lazily let it hang by my side. Out of the corner of my eye, Annabeth was hustling to find some spare armor I had in the cabin. Since this wasn't the first night Annabeth had slept in my cabin, she had some spare supplies stocked in one of the empty chests.  
"C'mon, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth prodded. "Get moving!"  
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I whined. It seemed absolutely ridiculous to me that I had to fight three major battles in twenty-four hours. I could tell Annabeth was also not happy with this by the way she was sniping at me. All I wanted was to have one nice night with Annabeth, propose to her, and go home. I've always known the Fates hated me, but this was sadistic even for them.  
Together, Annabeth and I jogged out towards Thalia's tree. Various monsters were assembled at the bottom of the hill. The fan favorites included hordes of hellhounds, a pack of Laistrygonians, a battalion of dracanae, and even a group of telkhines, who took a personal interest in me. Apparently, word had gotten around about how I blew up their cousins.  
Leading the army was an eagle. However, this eagle just so happened to be fifty feet tall. Its talons were the size of a compact car. Its beak could swallow a school bus. Its beady black eye tried to bore a hole right through me. The eagle's fog horn cry nearly burst my eardrums as it spread out its seventy-foot wingspan, and took off with enough force to blow back the camp's entire front line. The eagle seemed to be flying away, but I knew better. As the eagle reached its peak height, it tucked its wings into a nose dive as it bombed straight toward the camp's magical borders.  
As the eagle made its approach, Annabeth tugged on my arm. "Percy, I think I recognize that bird. That's the Caucasian Eagle. That's the eagle that pecked on Prometheus' liver until Hercules killed it. If it's reformed, it's probably not happy about Zeus forcing it to eat liver for thousands of years," Annabeth deduced, "And it probably has enough power to break the barrier. The eagle is said to be a direct descendant of Echidna and Typhon."  
I'll be honest, that kind of scared me. If it could break through the camp's magical barrier, it could do some serious damage. I shouted "Demigods! Find cover! That eagle is gonna take out the barrier!" The whole camp started to frantically run away from the tree, where it looked like the eagle was going to land. I saw the eagle get closer to the tree, which stirred up Peleus, the dragon in charge of guarding the tree. I had never seen the dragon take flight, but it was majestic to watch as his copper scales flashed in the morning sun. Peleus accelerated to meet the eagle, and the two collided in mid-air. Their crash sounded a loud crack that rustled the trees and kicked up the dust. When the dust settled, I couldn't believe my eyes.  
Peleus was gone. I frantically looked around to see if he had just been lost in the woods, but deep down I knew the truth. My idea was confirmed as it started to snow golden dust and pine needles. Peleus and Thalia's tree had been completely obliterated. I could scarcely pick out where the tree used to be. My heart dropped to my stomach as I processed Peleus. Peleus was always constant at Camp Half-Blood. Every time I walked up the hill to camp and saw him wrapped around the tree, I knew I'd come to a safe place. Losing Peleus and Thalia's tree was like the camp losing its armor. Now, it was bare and vulnerable. One of the only safe places for demigods wasn't safe anymore. Slowly, my shock turned to anger. I was tired of seeing my friends get hurt. I was sick of having to live in fear of some dumb ass monster from showing up and ruining my day. I was going to have revenge on whoever keeps trying to kill me and my friends.  
I whipped out Riptide and flicked the cap off. The three-foot xiphos extended from my hand. I swaggered up to to the eagle, ready to slice it to shreds.  
"Listen up, bird brain! No one messes with my camp and gets away with it!" I jeered at the eagle, trying to get its attention. There was no doubt in my mind that my plan worked, because the eagle craned its head towards me, and flicked its wing in the blink of an eye. Its wing hit me like a freight train as I sailed backward and landed hard on my ass. My ears were ringing as I groggily stood up to face the eagle, but by then it was already done with me. It spread its wings and screeched, which seemed to signal the army to charge. The demigods charged with equal fervor to meet the monsters. While the death of Peleus and Thalia's tree physically weakened the camp, their sacrifice strengthened their resolve to beat back this army. Demigods were taking down monsters as ferociously as I saw when we were defending Olympus from Kronos' army. Actually, the demigods might be fighting more passionately since Camp was their home.  
I turned my attention toward the eagle, which was fighting with power and grace like I'd never seen from a monster. It was able to use its entire body in combat as it batted away campers with its wings while pecking at the campers right below it. I knew it was going to be impossible to get close enough to kill it without getting swatted. I decided that I would need to throw it out of its rhythm in order to take out its eyes. Eyes are always a great place to stab a powerful monster.  
I closed my eyes and felt a tug in my gut as a torrent of water came from the river and raced towards the eagle. It held up its wings to defend itself, but it seemed to be struggling to hold its position. While it was distracted, I dashed around it to try and scale it from the tail, but its beady eye caught sight of me. Just as I got to the edge of its tail, the eagle spun around and took flight. I almost fell off, but I managed to grab a hold of its back tail feathers. As it circled the camp, it craned its head to figure out where the extra tail weight was coming from. When it saw me, it screeched and took off straight up. The people on the surface slowly shrank as we went higher and higher. I hung on for dear life as its ascent began to slow. Eventually, it reached its peak height. As it did so, it slowly began to rotate, and I realized too late what it was trying to do.  
The eagle rotated its body where its back faced the ground, and we began to dive bomb. My stomach churned as we hurtled toward the ground. I quickly switched my grip on its feathers so that I was belly down. As soon as the eagle flipped around, its momentum going into the turn was going to throw me off. I had to figure out how to get a grip on the eagle that would prevent me from being flung to the ground and splattering like a water balloon. Inching my way up its tail feathers, I found that the eagle had created a pocket of space where the wind wasn't strong enough to blow me off. I climbed my way up its body, and as the ground rapidly approached, I reached its neck just as I felt the bird try to flip. I started to crawl around to the back of its head when the bird flipped. The jolt felt like an overcharged mechanical bull, but I managed to hang on. The bird was upright but hadn't really considered where he was going to land after his little Top Gun maneuver. As such, we crashed through the trees, and undoubtedly we pissed off the nature spirits whose forest we wrecked. The eagle crashed headfirst into the ground, digging a trench the size of an Olympic swimming pool.  
I have no idea how long the eagle and I were on the ground. It could've been seconds or hours. Eventually, the eagle's head popped into my vision and was bearing down on me. It seemed to be savoring its juicy meal as it drew its head back. I drew Riptide like a western gunslinger as the beak shot towards me. I tore the cap off just as the beak was six inches from my eyes. The eagle squawked as the sword burst through its head right between the eyes. All of a sudden, the bird burst into feathers that were carried off by the wind.  
I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched the feathers go away. It had been too long since I'd taken a ride on a giant flying monster. My arms were filled with lead. I couldn't feel my thighs. I thought I was gonna need a neck brace from getting throttled around.  
I looked around to see if anyone was nearby, but I couldn't even hear the fighting at Thalia's tree. I tried to sit up, but I could barely lift my head off the ground. with effort, I reached towards the sky with all the strength I had left, but to no avail. I flopped back on to my back sweating and panting from the effort. Silently, I prayed to the gods that someone would come and find me. Hell, I even prayed to Ares that the battle would end up back here.

After about eternity, I couldn't take it anymore. I slowly drifted unconscious, hoping someone would find me.  
Of course, going to sleep meant having a demigod dream. Even compared to my dreams, this one was a doozy.  
I was standing in front of my mom's apartment building. I started to go up to see her when the building burst into flames. I was blasted backward and tumbled head over heel. When I stopped rolling, I saw a familiar face.  
It was the same man who'd appeared in my last dream. He looked so familiar, which sounds strange, but I felt like I'd met someone with purple flesh and Stygian iron boots before. He had his same suicide bomber face on. He looked like someone who would burn down a city to warm his feet.  
"So nice to see you again, Percy!" he cackled at me, "I rather enjoyed our last visit."  
I snarled at him and said "What do you want with me? Why are you messing with me?"  
Despite my best death glare, he was giggling gleefully. "Oh Percy, it's just so much fun to push your buttons! I like seeing mortals get all riled up. They have no clue how pathetic their lives are, yet everything seems to matter to them. It's hilarious!" he said bubbly.  
The figure made my blood boil. I hated how immortals think they can walk all over mortals just because they find our lives insignificant. "You better leave me and my family alone, or I'm gonna rip you to shreds!" I screamed. The man felt like Ares, only a thousand times worse. I wanted to shove my hand up his rib cage and tear out his heart.  
However, the man acted like a sadistic five-year-old with all the energy he had. He just clapped his hands and jumped up and down like London Tipton from the Suite Life of Zach and Cody, bubbly and full of energetic madness. He smiled dreamily as he said "Oh, what a wonderful idea! Let's meet up. I'd love to have a chat with you about your family. I think you know where to go." He gestured behind him, and my stomach felt like it was just put in a juicer. I screamed at the top of my lungs before bolting upright.  
I was in the camp infirmary. There were a couple faces around me, but they were hazy, almost like they weren't there. All I could think about is what that monster was going to do with my mother.  
I whistled as loud as I could, and Blackjack swooped down. He said something about 'owing him one', but to me, it sounded like he had a bag over his head. I could only jump on him as I whispered in his ear where to go, and we took off towards the Manhattan skyline.  
The closer I got to New York and my mother's apartment, the more my haziness disappeared. My disorientation was replaced with anger as I thought of the things that the man could be doing to my mom, and what I was gonna do to him.  
As we flew right over my mom's building, I didn't bother waiting for Blackjack to take me down the last thirty feet. Instead, I yelled as I fell through the sky and burst through the ceiling into my mom's apartment. To my horror, I didn't see my mom anywhere. My heart was racing a million miles an hour as I ran towards my parents' bedroom.  
I whipped out Riptide and charged into the room, but I was not prepared for what I saw.  
Paul was dead. His wrists were nailed to the wall. Blood poured out of his stomach. I almost held onto the hope he was alive, but he was missing the top half of his head. His skull was sticking out of his head. His eyes were a familiar glassy look that I'd seen in my dead friends all too often. Tears welled in my eyes as the closest thing to a normal dad was dead.  
My mom was alive. A gag covered her mouth. It broke my heart to see tears streaking down her face. Her breathing was ragged and irrational. She was shaking like there was an earthquake. I had never been more afraid in my entire life as a figure stepped out of the shadow.  
As I stared into my mother's eyes, I watched helplessly as the figure I'd seen for half a second stepped out and sliced my mother's throat.  
The silence was all I heard. Everything in the world turned gray. The sounds of the city drowned out. All I could think about was how my mother was bleeding out in front of me. Tears in my eyes, I blubbered something about trying to save her, but even I couldn't process my words after what I'd just witnessed. With her dying breath, she reached out her hand and stroked my face one last time. Her arm collapsed by her side, and I felt her soul leave her body. A tidal wave of grief and pity swallowed me, and I felt like I was choking. I felt a hurricane churning within me, and I felt something inside me break. I turned towards my mothers killer to see the man who took the woman who raised me away from me.  
I was shocked to find it was a telkhine. The telkhine gave me a wolfish grin and bore right into my eyes. His eyes were a swirling vortex that seemed to swallow everything good and happy in this world. Out of its mouth, a voice I recognized all too well began to speak.  
"My apologies, Perseus. I'm afraid I can't really talk to you in person," he said. It was the man that was haunting my dreams, who continued, "I'm afraid your dreams and the pit are the only places I can manifest myself. Let me properly reintroduce myself. I'm Tartarus. And I've never lost a prisoner." He laughed a sadistic laugh as though he was watching a city burn.  
He finished by saying, "Don't worry, Perseus. We'll get in touch soon." The vortex left the telkhines eyes, and the telkhine burnt to ash.  
I couldn't take it anymore. Life felt empty without my mother. I released my restraint on the hurricane, and it exploded from my body. I screamed as torrents of water leveled the building almost instantly and I shot into the sky. My last thought as I went unconscious is that I never wanted to feel this excruciating pain again.

 **AN: Yeah, you've probably seen a thousand "Sally dies" fics. He's gotta become an unfeeling ghost, and I thought this was the best way to do it without wrecking future pairings ;). Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

AN: There's a tone shift in this chapter. See if you can spot it.  
I put some additional rough language in there. I think its important for the tone of the fic, but if y'all think it's gratuitous let me know. I did rate this fic M for a reason...

I've been working on this one for a while, but ya know, school. I've been writing (almost) every day as I promised, but it's getting a little harder to write the further I get in. What would really help would be audience reviews. I would love to hear your feedback, good and bad. Please o please o please review so I can try and incorporate your ideas.

All rights to Supreme Leader Rick. Long live the Supreme Leader.

Previously...

I couldn't take it anymore. Life felt empty without my mother. I released my restraint on the hurricane, and it exploded from my body. I screamed as torrents of water leveled the building almost instantly and I shot into the sky. My last thought as I went unconscious is that I never wanted to feel this excruciating pain again.

Three years later...

I was strolling along minding my own business when I heard a large roar behind me. I turned around and lo and behold it was the Chimera.  
"What do you want?" I deadpanned. The Chimera hoisted up its chest and flicked its snake tail. Like that was supposed to be impressive. I wasn't really in the mood to kill the Chimera, but it didn't look like it was going to give me a choice. Not wanting to expend the extra effort, I snapped my fingers, and the Chimera was blasted with dark energy and crumbled into dust.  
I know, I know, I sound overpowered, and the least I could give the audience is a dramatic backstory of how I strove for power in order to pay the due to the dead. If you were expecting that, then great job. You can shove your gold star right up your ass.  
Revenge is for drama queens. I've learned not to grow attachments because the things you value the most in the world are the things the world wants to take away, and when it's you versus the world, the world always wins. Even with the power I've attained, I can't stop death. No one can. Now, once I get off my soapbox, I can tell all you drama geeks all the juicy details about how I got to be overpowered.  
I don't like overdoing the narration, and if I keep breaking the fourth wall I'm not sure I'll be able to put it back together, so I'll keep this short. Basically, I got bored hunting monsters on the surface world because they got too easy. So I went down to Hades to find something fun to wrestle with. As I made my way through the EZ death line I saw a wispy figure floating by Cerberus. Meanwhile, Cerberus looked pretty pissed that I hadn't played with him in so long, so I tossed him a big rubber ball and chased after the wispy figure. Once I got near Tartarus, he became a physical form. He said his name was Coeus, the Titan of Knowledge. All I really cared about was "Titan". I killed him, he faded, and I got all of the knowledge in the universe. Cool.  
I used the knowledge I gained from Coeus to create all sorts of cool shit. I got so powerful that I could go into Tartarus without much of an issue, and get back easily too. I used my abilities to travel to the bottom of the pit where Chaos existed. I figured out how I could harness the power of Chaos to armor, clothing, and weapons to make them extremely powerful. I can create and destroy as easily as Chaos can. There hasn't been a single monster I've challenged that can pose any sort of threat. Believe me, I've looked. The last year or so, I've roamed all over, trying to find anyone who can match my strength and intellect, but with no luck.  
Back to the real world. While I knew what to expect from my "fight" with the Chimera, it also kinda left me hanging. I was kinda hoping that it'd be fun to dissolve it instantly after it gave me so much trouble back on the St. Louis arch. Instead, I didn't feel anything. I haven't felt anything ever since I killed Coeus. All the rush of adrenaline from killing monsters was gone now. How can I have any excitement if I know exactly how the battle's going to end?  
It almost frustrated me how easy the fight was. Not the way it ended, but what it meant. Killing the Chimera with a snap of the fingers meant that there was no point in killing him. The Chimera couldn't have harmed me. I didn't care if it hurt anyone else because there's no one else in this universe that I cared about. Caring for people is like taking fine china on a roller coaster. Eventually, something's going to break. My thoughts briefly went to Annabeth, who was my one hold-out. I don't know if I can handle it when she dies, but I also don't know if I can handle not being with her.  
I may not have the curse of Achilles anymore, but Annabeth is still my mortal point. If there was anything that could keep me in a normal life in society, it was her. She was my everything, and I loved her with all my heart. But when I look back on her, it's terrifying how much power she held over me. I couldn't witness her die, so I can't watch her clock tick down. Losing her would destroy me all over again, and it's only a matter of time before it would happen. Demigods die every day. Anyone of them could be hers. Once you get there, it doesn't take all the knowledge in the universe to know what happens when you play with fire.  
I continued through the forest, hoping I'd stumble along a Titan or something. Normally, purely existing was enough for the Fates to try and throw half a dozen pissed off Titans at me. Not sure why anything would change now. In retrospect, what I'd stumbled across was even worse.  
It was four teenagers in tents in the woods. That sounds like an easier fight than a Titan, but four kids in the woods who happen to be a couple miles away from a Chimera was a bad sign. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw swords and orange t-shirts laying around on the ground. It had to be demigods from Camp Half-Blood.  
As I got closer to their camp, I saw they had set up a fire ring and three of them were huddled around it. I guess I hadn't noticed that it was winter in New York, but I haven't felt temperature since I harnessed the Chaos energy. They immediately shot up out of a cannon and pointed their swords at me.  
"Who are you?" a guy with blonde hair and blue eyes shouted. He was either a member of the perfect Aryan race or an Apollo kid. Either way, not a great first impression.  
I rolled my eyes at his stupidity before brushing his sword aside with my hand, telling him "Easy, dude. I don't feel like killing you."  
That didn't seem to do much to comfort him, but it's been a while since I've talked to someone from Camp Half-Blood, so I probably wasn't taking the right approach. I restated "I just mean, that if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead. I don't want to kill you, so you have nothing to worry about."  
"Hey, dipshits! Put your swords down. That's Percy Jackson."  
A big, burly figure emerged from the tent. The figure was shredded, with biceps as big as the other demigods' thighs. It was the same biceps that tried to dunk me in a toilet when I was twelve.  
"Clarisse, nice to see you again. Is what I would say if I wanted to lie to you." I jested.  
"Ha, Ha, Sea shit. Where the fuck have you been?" she scolded.  
Sea shit. That was a new one. "Aw, has Camp been helpless without me? I'm touched." I mocked.  
Clarisse just harrumphed in response. "Actually, we couldn't be better. This is the first quest that's been set out since you left. We're hunting the Chimera, it was supposed to be somewhere around here."  
Suddenly, killing the Chimera was worth coming out here. I laughed at her as I said "Well good luck finding it. It's dead."  
This made Clarisse scowl. She yelled "What do you mean, dead? Did you kill it?"  
"Yep," I said, popping the p.  
Clarisse snarled "No way! I was destined to kill it! That damn Oracle lied! I'm about to go back to Camp and tie her pigtails to a tree, and then I'm gonna shove her paintbrushes in her –"  
"Well, I best be going now, hate to be late for my anything-other-than-hanging-out-with-dumb ass-demigods event. Bye bye, take care now!" I interrupted.  
As I started to walk away, I heard Clarisse shout "Jackson! Get your ass back here!"  
I knew she was just going to chase me and look for me until she found me, so I turned around.  
I shouted back "What do you want, Clarisse?"  
She responded, "I want to know how you killed the Chimera all by yourself."  
I inwardly groaned. Not wanting to have to explain my whole backstory again, I just told her "Riptide, duh." After all the cool gear I'd gotten, I didn't have any use for Riptide anymore, so I just threw it to Chaos to be dissolved. At first, I thought I might've felt some sort of irrational attachment to it, but I didn't care when I got rid of it, and I haven't cared about losing it since. I hoped to all the gods that Clarisse didn't call my bluff.  
Luckily for me, she didn't. "Why don't you come back to camp? Everyone's really missed you." she asked in a way that was too shy for the meathead 'roid rager standing in front of me.  
"Ha! And go see a bunch of people that wanna cry over me and build a shrine to me? No thanks. Life's too short." I snorted derisively.  
In all my years as a demigod, I'd never seen Clarisse look the way she did now. She looked like she'd just touched a hot stove. She recoiled at the thought of me not coming back.  
"Are you kidding me? Do you actually want me to come back? That's pathetic, even for you. Gods, you look like a beaten puppy. I didn't realize that demigods were so soft nowadays. I can't come back if even Clarisse is gonna whimper like an animal." At that point, Clarisse got angry. She wound up and tossed her sword at me, and it sailed like a dart straight towards my head.  
Of course, as the sword touched my forehead, it incinerated into ash. "Nice throw. Were you really gonna kill me?" I wondered.  
Clarisse's face turned from

pure rage to shell-shocked horror. She blinked several times, apparently not believing what she saw. "You... you didn't... move..." she stuttered out with wide eyes.  
"Careful, Crissy, you'll catch flies." I joked. Immediately her wide open jaw clamped shut.  
"Alright, Jackson. I don't know how you disintegrated my sword, but I've bought enough time for the other demigods to send out an Iris message. The gods are coming to pick you up, and you're gonna spill to them."  
I simply rolled my eyes at her. "Really, are you calling in backup? Where's the monster that dunked my head into a toilet when I was twelve?" I said, annoyed at the trouble she was gonna put me through.  
"Sorry, Prissy. I've grown up. The world's moved on. Looks like you haven't." she lectured. Immediately, twelve flashes surrounded me, and before I knew it, I was in celestial bronze handcuffs. Before I could flip the bird to everyone around me, I was flashed to Olympus.

"You have committed crimes against Olympus and her people. What say you in your defense?"

I was cackling as the Olympians stared at me. We were in the throne room of Olympus, which honestly didn't seem as big as it was when I first came here, or even when I faced Kronos. I guess I've seen bigger and better things since then.  
Poseidon sighed, rubbing his temples. He said slowly "Perseus, if anyone committed a crime, it was you. The only reason we put you in chains is that you looked powerful and on edge. Please just tell us where you were."  
I laughed, and responded "Aw c'mon, Thunder Thighs, you didn't like that Skyrim reference? Apollo and Hermes were cracking up."  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the two in question struggling to keep a straight face. Apollo was on the verge of tears. Hermes was completely flushed.  
Zeus shouted "Enough!" in his overdramatic way, "I will not make this throne room the jester's court. Tell me, why did you leave?"  
I shrugged and said, "Felt like it."  
Apparently, Zeus wasn't satisfied with that answer. He slammed his master bolt against the ground, and thunder cracked overhead. Hera turned to the steaming god to comfort him, saying "Sweetie, calm down. He's not going to tell us when you get angry."  
Artemis, looking concerned for her father, turned to Apollo and asked: "What's got Father all riled up?"  
Hermes muttered under his breath "Let me guess. Somebody stole his sweet roll."  
Apollo lost it. He rolled out of his throne howling with laughter. The other gods except Zeus burst into giggles seeing Apollo try not to cry tears of laughter. I was having a fun time getting the gods riled up.  
Poseidon, finding a straight face, slammed his trident on the ground while yelling "Silence!" Once all the gods were quiet, he calmly asked me "Percy. Please tell us what happened in the last three years. We're just worried is all."  
I knew that they weren't going to stop asking as long as I didn't tell them. "Fine, but only because it's more convenient for me to tell you than to avoid it. Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once."  
I started to tell the gods what was happening, but as I moved my arms to begin, I accidentally snapped the celestial bronze cuffs. "Oops," I said bashfully, while the gods looked at me in shock.  
"Just so you know, they didn't do anything. I was just letting you have the appearance of safety."  
With that, I began. I started with how my mother died, and I was blasted off into the sky. I told them how I woke up and wandered around before I got bored and went to the Underworld. I left out the key details, like how I killed Coeus and using the Chaos energy. I just told them that I got super strong in Tartarus by training. When I finished the story, the gods had a look of shock and sympathy. Poseidon, on the other hand, looked angry.  
"So Tartarus killed Sally?" he said with a stern expression and a deathly calm, "We can't take that lightly. Tartarus is planning something. We need to strike back."  
Aphrodite raised her hand slightly and asked, "But how? Tartarus is a pit. Wouldn't that be like trying to kill Gaea?"  
The gods don't give Aphrodite enough credit. She made a really good point, I think. I don't really know because I'd lost interest.  
"Perhaps Tartarus can't be killed, but his physical manifestation might. If he can't have a physical form in the real world, perhaps it takes a lot of energy for him to create. If we can wear him down, he'll lose all of his strength, and won't be able to come back for another few million years." Athena pondered. She didn't seem too sure about wearing Tartarus down, and a quiet unease passed through the gods.  
"Whoever goes down to face Tartarus must be the best demigods available, and as many as possible. Zeus added,"Tartarus' form will not be a pushover. It will take the best of the best to take him down."  
At this point, I was so bored, I was bored of being bored. I chimed in "Wait a second. How do you even know he's planning something? Are you really gonna risk demigods on a whim?"  
Poseidon shot up at this and shouted, "He killed her! If that isn't a declaration of war, then what is? If he killed the one I love, then I'm going to do whatever it takes to get revenge!"  
Poseidon's shouts reverberated through the throne room. "Yeesh," I said, a little surprised by his temper tantrum, "Someone needs to ease up on the Adderall."  
Before he could reply, a large boom echoed from the Hudson River. A huge whoomph of water burst out of the river. Large, purple hands smashed the edge of the river bank as a humongous figure rose out of the river.  
"Shit, who let the door to Tartarus open?" I asked, looking pointedly at Poseidon. I gave him a "wink wink" and "nudge nudge", which he didn't seem too pleased about. I turned to watch as the figure made its way towards Olympus.  
Zeus grimaced and stroked his bristly chin before grimly stating, "It seems he was planning something after all. Prepare for the defense of Olympus. It may be our last."

AN: Please review! Let me know what you think. I'd really appreciate some more audience feedback.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** **So sorry guys for the lateness! I've been sick over the last couple of weeks, and I've had a lot of homework to catch up on. I'm back, and I should be back on schedule. I'm going to push to get out another chapter tomorrow as a reward for patience.**

 **Please review!**

 **All rights to Supreme Leader Rick. All hail the Supreme Leader!**

Previously...

Poseidon's shouts reverberated through the throne room. "Yeesh," I said, a little surprised by his temper tantrum, "Someone needs to ease up on the Adderall."  
Before he could reply, a large boom echoed from the Hudson River. A huge whoomph of water burst out of the river. Large, purple hands smashed the edge of the river bank as a humongous figure rose out of the river.  
"Shit, who let the door to Tartarus open?" I asked, looking pointedly at Poseidon. I gave him a "wink wink" and "nudge nudge", which he didn't seem too pleased about. I turned to watch as the figure made its way towards Olympus.  
Zeus grimaced and stroked his bristly chin before grimly stating, "It seems he was planning something after all. Prepare for the defense of Olympus. It may be our last."

Now...

I don't think any of the gods actually knew what to do. A few years ago, they tried to defeat Typhon. He had traveled all the way across the country with the gods constantly fighting him, but he'd made it to the Hudson. He would've taken Olympus if Poseidon hadn't dragged him down to Tartarus.  
Now it literally was Tartarus, and the gods had minutes before he reached Olympus. Tartarus made Typhon look like a kindergartner. All we could see from Olympus was his torso and lower body. His head was taller than Olympus. He walked five miles every step. His pink finger could destroy the New York skyline.  
Our attention turned towards an awful smell coming from inside the throne room. It smelled like a feedlot. Everyone looked over and saw Dionysus, who was red in the face and yellow around the waist if you catch my drift.  
I couldn't help but burst into laughter as Dionysus soiled his pants like a pre-schooler. I clutched my stomach as I started to roll on the ground from laughter. Dionysus was desperately trying to cover up the stain, which only made me howl with laughter. As my laughing died down, I couldn't help but notice that none of the other gods found it funny.  
Poseidon touched my shoulder and said "Percy, this is serious. Tartarus is going to destroy Olympus if we don't do something."  
I casually brushed his hand off my shoulder and laid back like I was on a beach chair. I told him suavely "Relax, pops! It doesn't matter if Olympus is destroyed! It's just a room with a dozen chairs!"  
Ares responded by growling "Hey, shithead. We're all going to die if we lose our thrones."  
"Oh, I was talking about me. I'll be fine if Olympus gets wrecked. My power isn't tied to something as stupid as an armchair." I said sardonically. However, it didn't seem that anyone was in the mood for sarcasm, as Demeter threw a glare over her shoulder, or as Athena huffed in frustration. Ares was a little more direct.  
His right fist swung straight at my face at a hundred miles an hour, aiming to knock my head off. I swiftly shuffled aside as his attack sailed two inches past my nose.  
"Hey, punk!" Ares growled, "If you don't help Olympus, you're gonna get it!"  
I snorted "Really? That's an empty threat. You aren't going to be here if I don't feel like helping you. I'd watch your tone if I were you."  
Ares' flaming orbs were blazing with an anger I hadn't seen from him before. He screamed "Who do you think you are?! I think it's high time someone put you in your place!"  
He whipped out his sword as I cracked my neck, hoping that he might put up a good fight. But before anything could happen, Poseidon slammed his trident to the ground with a roaring THUD.  
"Enough!" he shouted, "We won't be able to beat Tartarus if we're fighting each other!"  
Zeus raised a hand to his mouth to clear his throat. "Ahem. Thank you, Poseidon," he mumbled. Aphrodite had to cover her mouth to keep herself from screaming, and the other gods looked just as shocked. Zeus had never thanked Poseidon for anything.  
Zeus quickly regained control of the council. "Enough chatting. Tartarus is on his way. We need to do something in order to try to save Olympus. It doesn't matter that the cards are stacked against us, as the mortals say. We must be willing to give up our own ego in defense of Olympus. I know that I haven't been the perfect brother, father, or king to all of you all the time. But our past can't get in the way of our future right now. We will stand and fight for ourselves, each other, and – "  
A giant yawn echoed across the throne room. Everyone turned and looked as I yawned like a bear awakening from hibernation.  
"Jeez, King Zappy, you're putting me to sleep. Can't we just start attacking him? I'm bored," I said drowsily.  
Athena jumped in saying "Hold it. We need a battle plan. Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Apollo, and Artemis will hover around Tartarus' head. Keep him distracted. When he focuses on them, the rest of us will swoop in for his legs and wear him down. Don't get hit, but don't stop attacking. We're going to need all the firepower we can get."  
Hermes grinned and shouted "Okay! Avengers assemble!"  
Demeter replied by smacking him on the back of the head. "Careful! We don't have the rights for Marvel!" she scolded.  
"Actually, because our canon is published under Disney Hyperion and Marvel is also a Disney company, it's not technically copyright infringement." I corrected, "Although, you're walking right up to the line, Hermes." (AN: Not sure that's how copyright law works, but you get the gist.)  
Artemis smacked both of us on the back of the head. "Shut up and get moving!" she chided.  
As the Olympians boarded their cribs – whoops, I meant carriages, – I just took off into the chilly night sky. My jaws were flapping against my cheek as I raced to meet Tartarus.  
When he saw me, his booming laugh reminded me of the echoing of the pit. "Perseus Jackson. Just the man I was looking for. I didn't really want to mess around with those puny Olympians, but I looked forward to our fight. I saw you kill Coeus and absorb his essence. I saw you extract the energy of Chaos. You are powerful. You'll put up a good fight." he told me.  
"Well, it hasn't been much use being this powerful. No one can really test me." I admitted.  
I could tell by Tartarus' face he was about to start monologuing. "I know the feeling. You've only had this raw strength for a few years. I've had to hold back since the beginning of time! Ever since Father Chaos created me, there hasn't been anything that could escape my grasp! For ages, I watched as Oranous, Gaea, and Kronos had all the fun. Meanwhile, I had to keep a bunch of one-eyed freaks from getting out of a pit. It's not fitting for the most powerful primordial in the universe! And then came the worst insult of all. Y –"  
"Hold it." I interrupted, "This is taking too long. Say your final words now so I can kill you."  
"Why, you insolent little immortal!" He screeched. As he shouted, his already enormous height seemed to get bigger. "I will crush you like a bug. The Olympians are ants compared to me. They're not worth my consideration! And you started as a wimpy little demigod! I have held the most powerful monsters to walk the earth, and if you're going to interrupt me like I'm some one-bit super-villain, I will wipe you from existence!" he screeched as he backhanded me, and I sailed all the way across New York and landed in the harbor.  
Meanwhile, the gods and goddesses were charging for what could be their final battle. Zeus let loose a bolt of lightning, and a loud CRACK broke the still night sky. Tartarus's head was lost in a cloud of dust.  
However, he emerged without any sign of being touched or even slowing down. He continued to wade through New York, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. The mortals didn't know what they were seeing. All they knew was that their homes and offices were destroyed, and their life was in danger. The mortals were fleeing like ants in a rainstorm as Tartarus continued to charge through to Olympus.  
The gods were trying everything to slow him down. Apollo and Artemis were arrow machine guns, peppering him with silver and gold. Zeus blasted lightning bolt after lightning bolt, but Tartarus seemed to absorb them, making him stronger. Poseidon, Ares, and Hermes all charged straight towards his  
neck with their weapons bristling, but Tartarus let loose a black energy that slammed them backward, spiraling out of control. They regrouped and came around for a second pass with Dionysus and Athena, but Tartarus swatted at them, forcing them to break ranks to avoid it.  
Demeter was behind Tartarus, attempting to coil vines around his neck. Green leaves sprouted from the vines as they made their way to his throat. Tartarus noticed the vines and grabbed them with a speed that didn't seem possible for his size. He twirled the vines like a lasso and with Demeter still attached, he slung them northward, and Demeter vanished from view. She crash-landed on the other side of the Canadian border.  
The gods pushed on, not ready to give up yet. Poseidon slung his trident at Tartarus and it sailed towards his throat. Tartarus opened his mouth and swallowed the trident whole.  
Poseidon yelled "My trident is not a snack! Give it back!"  
Tartarus responded with a chuckle "Puny gods and their puny weapons. Do you not know? That trident couldn't stop me, and neither can you. No one can stop me now."  
The gods grimaced, hearing the truth in Tartarus's words. Tartarus was two blocks from Olympus. He was reaching out his hand to start grabbing thrones. There was nothing the Olympians could do to stop him.  
Knowing defeat was inevitable, the gods huddled into a circle on the floor of the throne room.  
Zeus, with the life leaving his eyes already, said "For what it's worth, I'm sorry I was a horrible king. I should've treated my family better. I should've been a better husband, and a better father."  
Poseidon put a hand on his brother's shoulder and comforted him. "You did the best you could. You had to rule the entire world. It's not an easy job. I forgive you, brother, and I

hope you can forgive me for my sins."  
Hera embraced him and said soothingly "I forgive you, Zeus. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better mother to our children, and for treating your children so horribly. All I saw was the child of another woman, but I didn't see that they were yours too. I love you."  
Hera then turned to Hephaestus and Ares and said "I'm sorry I couldn't love you for who you are. I was such a horrible mother to the only children I actually had and was so busy being angry at Zeus. I love you, Hephaestus and Ares."  
Ares wiped the first tear he had ever cried and turned to Hephaestus. "I'm sorry for banging wife. I shouldn't' have been a dick, bro." he mumbled.  
Hephaestus gave him a sad smile, and said: "I forgive you, bro."  
Apollo and Artemis turned towards each other. "I'm sorry I was so annoying all the time. I never felt like you wanted to talk to me, and so I annoyed you just to spend time with you. I should've told you that a long time ago. I love you, big sis."  
Artemis replied "I know, I closed myself off to you. I'm sorry too."  
They all continued to hold hands and watched as their life flashed before their eyes. It felt like an eternity as they were waiting for their world to end.  
"Ahem."  
The gods looked over and saw me, and they were shocked.  
I was sitting on the severed head of Tartarus.  
Their jaws were unhinged like an anaconda's. No one moved a muscle as they tried to process what they were seeing.  
"Hh-how..." Athena stuttered, for once at a loss for words.  
I chortled "Oh come on! It was easy! One quick slice, and he was dead! I've been sitting here for 20 minutes watching you guys have your kumbaya moment. Did you really think that if Taurus was a hundred feet away from killing you that you'd have times to say your last goodbyes? I can't figure out what was the best part. Ares actually crying, or Apollo admitting that Artemis was his big sister and he annoys for attention. If this gets out, neither of them will see any "action" for the next millennium!" I burst into laughter at Apollo unable to seduce any deities.  
Poseidon shouted "Hey! We were as close to dying as the Olympians had ever seen!"  
Zeus added, "How dare you make fun of our near-death experience!"  
As my laughter died away, I sighed and shook my head. "Oh, you gods, thinking that Tartarus is the worst of the worst," I chided.  
"What do you mean? Is there something stronger than Tartarus?" Aphrodite asked slowly.  
I couldn't help but chuckle at the question. "Well, of course, there is! I kill 20 beings stronger than Tartarus every week! Do you really think you're at the center of everything? You're not even the only pantheon on Earth!" I told them.  
Dionysus asked, "Does that mean that all the human's gods are real?"  
I rubbed my temples, trying not to let their ignorance give me a headache. I sighed in frustration and said "Yes, booze dude. As long as they have influence, they have power."  
The gods were slack-jawed. I rolled my eyes as their narrow-minded brains tried to comprehend all the other gods that exist. It was almost funny how unbearably naive they were. The Olympians thought they were the only immortals in the universe, but they weren't even the only gods on Earth. I was starting to remember why I left three years ago.  
"Well, as much fun as this was not, I have to get going. I have to do literally anything else. I won't see you later! Bye!" I waved cheekily as I opened a portal that opened into darkness. As I turned to leave, Poseidon shouted for me.  
"Wait!" he exclaimed, "Don't go! We need you!"  
I turned around and sighed "Sorry, but I don't need you." With that, I walked through the portal.

 **AN: Post in review how y'all would feel about another POV. Or post anything in the reviews. Either will be fine.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I've got another chapter for you. As I get into the summer, there will be more chapters coming on the regelo' (that means more regulary for you normies out there).**

 **Now that that weirdness is over with, here ya go!**

 **All rights to Supreme Leader Rick. Long live the Supreme Leader!**

 **Previously...**

"What do you mean? Is there something stronger than Tartarus?" Aphrodite asked slowly.  
I couldn't help but chuckle at the question. "Well, of course, there is! I kill 20 beings stronger than Tartarus every week! Do you really think you're at the center of everything? You're not even the only pantheon on Earth!" I told them.  
Dionysus asked, "Does that mean that all the human's gods are real?"  
I rubbed my temples, trying not to let their ignorance give me a headache. I sighed in frustration and said "Yes, booze dude. As long as they have influence, they have power."  
The gods were slack-jawed. I rolled my eyes as their narrow-minded brains tried to comprehend all the other gods that exist. It was almost funny how unbearably naive they were. The Olympians thought they were the only immortals in the universe, but they weren't even the only gods on Earth. I was starting to remember why I left three years ago.  
"Well, as much fun as this was not, I have to get going. I have to do literally anything else. I won't see you later! Bye!" I waved cheekily as I opened a portal that opened into darkness. As I turned to leave, Poseidon shouted for me.  
"Wait!" he exclaimed, "Don't go! We need you!"  
I turned around and sighed "Sorry, but I don't need you." With that, I walked through the portal.

 **Now...**

I stepped out of the portal into my Los Angeles apartment. I got a place in LA because when I was being a big, mopey, pussy about my mom dying, I couldn't handle being in New York City. The memories were too painful. But after six months in LA, I was in love with the city. I can't remember if it was the funky layout, the famous celebrities, the tourist attractions, – no, wait, now I remember. It was the cocaine.

"Ah, nothing better to come home to than four lines of coke all cut and ready to blow!" I sighed to myself. I hurried through all four lines in rapid succession. I frantically sprinted over to the minibar and gulped down a full glass of scotch, eager to forget the world around me.

And forget I did.

I only remember parts of the next seventy-two hours. It flashed by me like an action movie trailer. I saw myself taking a piss in Hades' garden. I somewhat remember mooning the hunters. I think I saw myself riding Chiron and yelling "Yeehaw!", but I'm not sure if that's real or a hallucination. I definitely remember wiping my ass with Zeus' master bolt.

When I finally came to, I was naked, in the Camp Half-Blood woods, and my left foot was facing the wrong direction. Not to mention I had a massive hangover. Distant sounds of the clashing of metal rang out. I checked my watch and realized it was Friday.

I was in the middle of a capture-the-flag game.

I tried to summon clothes and fix my foot, which was starting to make me nauseous, but my head was splitting itself open, and I couldn't concentrate. My whole body was aching. I tried to lift my head in order to sit up, but that yielded no result. I collapsed on the forest floor from the strain of effort. I watched the birds fly overhead as I waited for the sweet release of death.

"That's not going to happen anytime soon." I inwardly mumbled. As nice as that would be, I'm too powerful for death. I probably can't be killed by anything on Earth. So instead, I waited for the awkward encounter that was sure to follow someone discovering me in this awkward position.

As the clanging of swords on shield grew closer, I silently cursed myself for ending up here. Of all the places to end up naked and shitfaced, this had to be the worst one of all. I prayed that the gods would take a little pity on me, and make this as swift and painless as possible. The author said, setting up a painful and awkward situation.

"Sup, Seaweed Dick." Annabeth said, breaking the silence, "You wouldn't happen to have the Ares flag lodged up your asshole, would you? I've been looking for it."

"Heyyy..." I stuttered as I tried to curl my body into a defensive position, "Long time, no see?"

She grunted as she thrust her sword in between my legs, a mere three inches from my manhood. "Really, is that the best you got? No sorry, no excuses, no begging for mercy?! That's what I'd be doing if I were you!" she seethed. Her gray eyes were a tempest, ready to shoot lightning and blast me to smithereens. I winced at the yelling, which wasn't helping my headache.

"Fine! Since you're still hungover from whatever you were doing – wait, is that cocaine on your nose?! – never mind, I'll do the talking!" she said, shaking with anger, "When you left, it tore me apart all over again! We had a future! And you threw that all away, just because you got scared of losing anyone again! Is that right?"

I couldn't look her in the eye. Apparently, she took that for an answer.

She sighed and nodded her head with a half-hearted smile. "I just thought you were different. I thought you cared about me. For the first time in a while, I'm wrong." she said quietly. She looked wistfully at me as if I was about to disappear into thin air. It took all my courage to give her a response.

"Got any weed?" I asked hopefully. "I'm so wasted right now, I need something to take the edge off."

She swiftly snatched her sword out of the ground, and I covered my dick for fear of castration. Thankfully, it was a group of Ares kids looking for the flag. One of the juiceheads swung his sword in an executioner's blow, but Annabeth rolled to the right and kicked his left foot out from underneath him while she deflected a blow from another Ares girl. The big dude fell to the floor as Annabeth simultaneously defended both Ares kids. She switched back and forth from them so many times it gave me whiplash just watching her. She blocked one overhead blow from the right while sidestepping a jab from the left. The guy on the left ended up impaling the girl on the right, and Annabeth knocked both of them over the head.

"They really need to lay off the steroids." I commented, "I think it interferes with blood flow to the brain." Annabeth just rolled her eyes, and begrudgingly she gave me a hand up.

She turned to me and said "Look, just for the record, I'm only helping you because I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face as you walk into camp naked. Don't get any ideas."

I smirked and replied "You sure it's not 'cuz you get to touch me while I'm naked? I know you like what I got."  
I received a punch to the groin for my trouble. I doubled over as my vision went red. I hadn't felt physical pain since I got my powers. I held my mouth shut to keep myself from singing soprano.

"Any other smartass-ery, Seaweed Dick?" she mocked.

"I'll take that weed now," I replied.

Annabeth hauled me back into camp like a lion dragging a gazelle across the Serengeti. I didn't really want to see the camp again, especially not while I'm buck naked. Since I still couldn't concentrate enough to summon clothes, I was stuck in my birthday suit. The dense, dark forest began to give way to the open air and sunshine of Camp Half-Blood, my former home.

Since I was eleven, every time I had come to Camp Half-Blood, I felt like I was wrapped in a warm, sunshine hug that would care for me and keep me safe. But now that I had acquired my power, all I could see was the pale and frail skeletons of my former campmates. Jawbones chattered underneath the dining pavilion. Skeletal hands clawed their way up the rock wall. Skin and bones danced with their swords in the arena in some eerie ghost ritual. It seemed like just a strong wind would blow it all away. Despite the fact that I was still naked, I felt more protected then the whole camp.

As we got into camp I staggered into the infirmary, and without saying a word, I crashed on the cot. What I wasn't prepared for was the sheer force of my falling weight shattering the cot frame into splinters. The cot came down with a huge crack, and I rag-dolled to the floor.

"Whoopsie daisy!" I exclaimed. Annabeth just rolled her eyes at me and yanked my arm up.

"You're an idiot, Percy," she said exasperatedly. I struggled not to bite back at her with anything that might land me a punch in the balls. Annabeth called over a couple of the Apollo kids, but by the time they got to me I had already blacked out.

I hadn't had as many nightmares since I acquired my powers, but this time was different. I was floating in what seemed to be Earth's orbit, staring out at the stars. As I stared into the depths of space, I noticed something was weird. Constellations were moving across the sky, swimming through the inky black of the space around them. Their movements seemed to be full of anguish as they squirmed. I started to hear the whispers of a few different voices, all muttering about the same thing.

"Justice..." one hissed. "Revenge... sweet revenge..." another mumbled. The constellations were pissed about something. They all started to swarm together, got more solid, and got closer to earth. Slowly their chants got louder, and their whispers became desperate cries.

" _Justice... Justice... JUSTICE..._!"

I bolted up with a start. I was thinking a million thoughts a second as I tried to remember something.

I wondered aloud "Did I leave the oven on?"

 **AN: REVIEW! Good, crtitical reviews make my content better and easier to write. Please and thank you!**


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